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I am a Lutheran IC pastor in the Twin Cities, Minnesota who believes very much in the validity of both HC and IC.
I have absolutely no interest in talking about how great or how terrible HC is. Nor do I have any interest at all in talking about how great or how terrible IC is. There are many good and many not so good churches in both categories of HC and IC. (And I truly believe that God will bless those HCs and ICs that are found to be faithful.)
But I am very much interested in exploring the ways in which faithful HCs and ICs relate to each other as fellow members of the body of Christ rather than as perceived enemies of each other.
Is it possible for HCs and ICs, in Christ, to communicate with each other, support each other, share resources, and perhaps even occassionally work together for the good of God's Kingdom... without trying to steal away each others members?
I am interested in dreaming big dreams with the dreamers in God's Kingdom.
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Right... my faith is founded upon Jesus Christ and also upon the truth of Jesus Christ which is the Gospel of salvation. I accept Holy Scripture as the source and norm for teaching. And I also acknowledge that the Gospel itself is the one true key for all of scripture. There is no passage of scripture that can be properly understood apart from the gospel of salvation which is the truth of Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God... all things came into being in Him and through Him and for Him... including even the Holy Scriptures themselves. Therefore to rightly understand any part of the Scriptures one needs to rightly understand the living word Jesus Christ. This is the truth upon which my faith is founded.
Pat from Bayfield, Colorado here, where it is snowing once again.
I appreciate your heart concerning a working relationship versus an adversarial one between HCs and ICs. I believe one key to that will be found in individual believers following the leading of the Spirit. Another key will be found in elders being elders, teaching other faithful brothers and sisters who will teach others also. Teach what? First to be examples, then to honor others above ourselves, protect the flock of God from false doctrines, and to remember that whoever isn't against us is for us, regardless of how we all assemble together. We are known by our love one to another, not by our outward lable or geographic location.
I'm reminded that us homechurchers can fall into the same trap that has overcome many; the "We're on the RIGHT track and everyone else who doesn't do it our way is WRONG" It's human, carnal nature. The scriptures tell us in Acts frequently enough that people met together in temples and from house to house. We can never forget the temple too. Although location isn't the issue. What is the issue (from my perspective) is that we deliberately meet together in the name of the Lord, and according to I Cor. 14:26, we all participate for the purpose of edifying. I believe this is where many ICs have come short, and where HCs can also since we're still talking about people here who might still want some preimenence over others.
Can ICs and HCs work together? Sure...so long as you and I take our leading from the Lord (instead of the organizational handouts), allow God to be God in others around us especially when we assemble together (instead of recognizing a "pastor" over someone else), to allow people freedom to fellowship where they are led to go (instead of me trying to keep them here with the rest of us...), and when it comes to giving, give as unto the Lord, whether it's here, or wherever (since Christ didn't set up honoring the Lord so I can have a steady paycheck).
Well, I should shut up before I write a boring novel. But I wonder if perhaps we might be looking at this imperfectly; What if God doesn't see IC or HC, either / or. What if He has placed in His word the blueprints for what He wants...and is just hoping that all of us would just do things the way He wrote it out, in all of it's detail (and vague generalities to give us room to develop into that "perfect man...unto Christ"). Just a thought.
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